Multi-row punch die

ABSTRACT

A multi-row punch die for punching pages permits a single die to accommodate a plurality of lines of pins. The multi-row punch die reduces the need for multiple punch dies. This allows for quick engagement and disengagement of rows of punch pins being used to punch the pages. The multi-row punch die preferably floats pins not being used out of the way from contact with pages being punched, or allows for their removal.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to double-sided punch die which permits a single die to accommodate two or more lines of pins for different sized punch hole patterns, each to put holes in stacks of pages.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Paper punches for punching sheets for loose leaf, perforated or mechanically (spiral, metal or plastic, double loop or twin wire binding and comb binding) bound books are well known in the art. Since mechanically bound books or other stacks of sheets of any material, such as paper, metal or synthetic materials, come in a variety of sizes and require a large variety of binding elements, hole sizes, shapes and pitches, some method for accommodating two permutations with a single punch die was sought. The solution is a punch design which accepts two or more punch patterns, rows of set pins, which fit into and are engaged by the punch ram mechanism of the punch machine. Each of the punch patterns would accommodate a single line of punches (commonly called pins) to punch a stack of sheets, such as book pages or other stacked sheets with holes of the proper size and shape at the proper pitch and distance from the edge to accept the mechanical binding element being used. So another die is required for each permutation. The die is an expensive part and it must withstand substantial force and must maintain precision hole punching of the paper stack. Dies for a variety of jobs therefore represent a significant capital investment; they also require space for storage.

In the past there were dies made where one could engage or disengage an individual punch pin from the row of pins by loosening a screw above the pin within the pin bar retainer or by pulling a rod above the pin there by allowing the pin to float and preventing it from punching the paper when the pin bar pushes the other pins through the paper and into a female plate located in the base. The preferred embodiment allows for the quick engagement and disengagement of an entire row of pins at once without the time and expense of making an engage/disengage mechanism for each pin, saving money and change over time as well.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a single die to accommodate two or more lines of pins.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a die which reduces the need for multiple punch dies.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide for quick engagement and disengagement of a row of punch pins.

It is yet another object to provide a punch die which swings and floats pins not being used out of the way from contact with pages being punched.

Other objects which become apparent from the following description of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A typical punch die has a heavy steel base with a side slot to accept a stack of book pages or other sheets of any material, and locate them with a stop member to locate the pages or other kind of sheets relative to the stripper plate above, so the edge of the sheets is at the proper distance from the center of the line of holes through which the pins will emerge. The pin retaining bar above the base is engaged by the punch ram when the die is inserted in the punch. This bar is guided over the stripper plate such that all of the pins are in registration with the line of holes. The pins are retained in the pin retaining bar by a pin bar cover which is removable to permit exchange or sharpening of the pins as they wear. The stripper often guides the pins into their respective holes.

The double-sided punch die of this invention permits a single die to accommodate two lines of pins, each with particular pin size and shape, pitch, and distance from the sheet's spine edge. Thus the number of separate dies to accommodate a given set of permutations can be reduced by 50% or more through the use of this invention. Great cost savings can therefore be obtained since a single double-sided die or other multi-row die would be substantially less costly than two single dies because major subassemblies with minor modifications are now used for two or more different book designs. Storage is also reduced since a double-sided die requires no more space than a prior art single die.

In the preferred embodiment, a half-width pin bar cover is used with the double-sided die of this invention. This would cover only one line of pins. It would be placed over the heads of the pins to be used in a particular run prior to insertion in the punch, but the unused pins would not have to be removed. In operation, the unused pins would just float harmlessly upward as their cutting ends impact the paper stacks, since there is no cover above them to keep them pushing down through the paper during the downward excursion of the pin retaining bar while the covered set of pins are actually punching holes in the paper stack.

To switch patterns in the preferred embodiment one does the following. Remove the die from the machine, switch the pin bar cover screwed over one row of pins to the other side. Then put the die into the punch the other way. The original paper entrance slot is now the exit slot and visa versa.

It is possible to make a multi-row punch with more than two rows in the die. This would save more money and eliminate the need to turn the die around. One method is to just cover the pins with the pin bar cover of the row in use and stop the paper with the correct distance of the row and the spine edge of the paper or synthetic sheets to be punched.

In an alternate embodiment, a pin locking rod is used to lock the pins in the desired row of the pin retaining bar by sliding the rod through a hole centered on each row of the bar and through transverse holes in each of the pins.

In yet another variation on the use of a locking rod, the rod rests on the top surface of the pin head instead of going through a transverse hole in each pin.

While, in general, the rows in a multi-row die have different configurations of pins and/or pitch, two or more rows can be made identical to increase the longevity of the die before a row of pins would need sharpening or replacement.

Therefore, a multi-row punch die for punching a stack of sheets includes in general:

a) a female member for accepting a stack of sheets to be punched to form a row of holes of a specific configuration and pitch;

b) the female member has at least two rows of holes, whereby the holes in one row may differ in configuration and pitch from holes in the other respective rows;

c) a pin retaining bar has two or more rows of holes, in registration with corresponding holes in said female member, for accepting pins, and

d) a pin row selection means for insuring that pins in only one selected row of holes in the retaining bar are enabled to enter the holes in the corresponding row of the female member so as to punch holes in the stack of sheets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention can best be understood in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is noted that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments shown in drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art single-sided punch die with the pin retaining bar moved out of the base to show the pins and the line of holes in the stripper plate.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a double-sided multi-row punch die of this invention with the pin retaining bar pulled away from the base to show the two parallel lines of pins as well as the two parallel lines of holes in the stripper plate.

FIG. 3 is a top view detail of a portion of a pin retaining bar of the preferred embodiment showing the half-width pin bar cover covering the selected row of pins used to punch a selected row of holes in a stack of sheets being punched.

FIG. 4 is an end view crossection view of the pin retaining bar of FIG. 3 illustrating the floating position of the unused pins and the alignment with book page stacks.

FIG. 5 is a top view detail of an alternate embodiment for a pin retaining bar showing a narrow pin bar cover covering the center row of a three row punch.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a further alternate embodiment for a three row pin retaining bar using a locking rod to select a row of pins for punching holes.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment for a pin with rectangular shank and a transverse hole, for use in the embodiment of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a side crossectional detail of a pin retaining bar with a locking rod securing a row of pins with transverse holes.

FIG. 9 is a side crossectional detail similar to FIG. 8 showing a detail of an alternate embodiment with a locking rod resting on top of a row of pins being secured.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a pin with a flat top which may be used with the embodiment of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an alternate type pin with a concave recess on top which is also compatible with the embodiment of FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a punch pin with a round side notch.

FIG. 13 is an end view detail with locking rod and pin retaining bar in crossection showing the locking fit of the punch pin of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a punch pin with a v-shaped side notch.

FIG. 15 is an end view detail with locking rod and pin retaining bar in crossection showing the locking fit of the punch pin of FIG. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a prior art die 1 with female base 2 and pin retaining bar 3 with pin cover 9. When assembled, a single row of pins 8 remain in a single row of holes 7 in stripper plate 6. Pin bar assembly 3 is guided through its excursion relative to female base 2 by linear shafts 4 within bearing holes 5. Slot 20 enters and exits a stack of sheets being punched such as a stack of book sheets or other sheets, in a transverse direction.

FIGS. 2 through 4 describe a double-sided punch die with only two rows of pins. FIGS. 5-11 relate to dies of two or more rows of pins, generally illustrating three rows of pins.

FIG. 2 shows a double-sided punch die 10 of this invention with female base 12 and pin retaining bar 13 with removable pin cover 9. A double line of pins 18 and 22 of different diameters and pitch are shown mounted in pin retaining bar 13. These are in registration with holes 17 and 21 of female base 12 respectively when die 10 is assembled. Note that with full width pin bar cover 9, one set of pins, either 22 or 18 (whichever is not used in a run) is removed prior to the run, otherwise two sets of punch holes would be punched in the sheets. The sheet stack slot 24 is shown, which can be used for entering or exiting paper. Entrance slot 24 is for use of pins 22; the sheet slot for use by pins 18 (not shown) is on the opposite side of base 12. Then slot 24 is an exiting slot.

FIG. 3 is a partial top view of pin retaining bar 13 fitted with a removable half-width pin bar cover 30 of the preferred embodiment of the paper punch die of the present invention.

Companion FIG. 4 is an end crossection of bar 13.

In FIG. 3, the heads of pins 18 are covered by bar 30, but the heads of pins 22 are not. Bar cover 30 has a set of fastener holes that are symmetrically placed relative to the longitudinal centerline such that it can be rotated or flipped over to cover punches 22 instead of 18 if the run would require the use of punches 22 instead. One or more fasteners 31 and/or 32 are used to fasten bar cover 30 to pin retaining bar 13. For example, in a preferred embodiment, fasteners 31 located at the respective outer edges are screwed into threaded holes 32 while one or more near center fasteners 33 are screwed into one or more threaded holes 34 in pin retaining bar 13. Other means of removably attaching bar cover 30 to pin retaining bar 13 may be used, such as clips or magnets can be used.

As shown in FIG. 4, as pin retaining bar 13 is moved through a punch cycle (downward) pins 18 punch holes in sheet stack 43 (entered traversely through the opposite slot not shown on FIG. 2) which is stopped at stop 42 put within female base 12. Pins 18 are constrained to punch due to the position of pin bar cover 30. However, as bar 13 is pushed down and pins 22 impinge on stack 43, they simply move upward to position 40 without punching stack 43.

Stack 45, which is stopped by stop 44 put within female base 12, enters through slot 24 of female base 12. To punch using punches 22 on this run, pin bar cover 30 is simply be moved over pins 22 with no need to remove pins 18.

While FIGS. 2-4 show two rows of pins 18 and 22, it is contemplated that more than two rows of pins can be used. For example, if three or more rows of pins are used, as shown in FIG. 2, then two or more of the rows of pins can be removed. Likewise, if three or more rows of pins are used with pin bar cover 30 of FIGS. 3 and 4, then two or more rows of pins can be exposed.

FIG. 5 shows a section of pin retaining bar 50 with three rows of pins, 51, 52, and 53 respectively. A narrow pin bar cover 60 is shown over center row 52 thereby selecting this row for a run. Threaded holes 54 are dispersed at distal ends of the pin row spaces and at points between the rows to accept flat head screws 55 used to secure cover 60 over the desired row. Cover 60 is preferably notched on the sides to receive screws 55 which serve more than one row; this can be seen on the top right screw hole 54 adjacent cover 60 since the illustration does not show the screw 55 in place.

FIG. 6 shows a different embodiment using locking rod 80 instead of a narrow pin bar cover 60 for retaining pins 85 (see FIG. 7) which have a transverse hole 87. Pin retaining bar 70 is shown with three rows of countersunk pin holes 71, 72 and 73. In registration with the centerline of each row are longitudinal holes 75, 76 and 77 respectively through pin retaining bar 70. One, and only one, locking rod 80 is used in each punching run to secure the pins in only the desired row by inserting in one of the three holes 75, 76 or 77. Locking rod 80 is secured by fastening means in pin retaining bar 70, for example, by screwing the male threaded end 81 into mating female threads at the end of holes 75-77. Note that an alternate embodiment for pins 85 are shown with a rectangular shank. As these pins 85 are guided by rectangular holes in pin bar 70, they would be automatically aligned to accept locking rod 80 to penetrate transverse pin holes 87 when rod 80 is inserted. Round shank pins with transverse holes can also be used, but may have to be rotated a few degrees to lock in place to align in the direction of rod 80.

FIG. 8 is a side crossection detail showing pins 85 in row 71 locked to pin retaining bar 70 by rod 80 in hole 75.

FIG. 9 shows a side crossection comparable to FIG. 8 but illustrating a variation of the embodiment of FIGS. 6-8. In this embodiment, pins 95 (see FIG. 10) are locked to pin retaining bar 90 by locking rod 80 which is guided through a longitudinal hole just above the flat top surface of pins 95 so as to touch. In this case, no transverse holes are needed in pins 95. Pins 95 are inserted through straight holes 91 which end in a recessed countersink before a transition to shank clearance diameter. In this embodiment, any type shank can be accommodated without any need for alignment with locking pin 80.

If more intimate contact than a line contact is desired between rod 80 and each of the pin heads is desired, the pin heads 97 can be made concave as in pins 96 shown in FIG. 11.

FIGS. 12-15 illustrate yet another embodiment using locking rod 80 to selectively lock in place punch pins with a side notch or slot.

FIG. 12 shows pin 100 with a round side notch 101.

In FIG. 13, the crossectional end view shows locking rod 80 engaging with round notch 101 thereby preventing pin 100 from floating up during a punch cycle.

In FIG. 14 punch pin 105 is shown with a v-shaped side notch or groove 106.

FIG. 15 shows the fit of locking rod 80 in v-notch 106 locking pin 105 to retaining bar 70. It is noted that in this embodiment, the longitudinal holes for locking rod 80 within retaining bar 70 are now offset from the centerline of the row of pins.

A tighter circular groove can also be used instead (not shown). With the concave or grooved pin heads, some alignment rotation will be required to insert rod 80 in the desired row. Other pin head configurations (not shown) can also be retained by retaining rod 80. For example, if a pin head has an “F” or “S” shaped configuration, retaining rod 80 can engage in the recesses of the “F” or “S” shaped head to retain these fasteners with other pin head configurations. The rod can be mounted along the edge of grooved or slotted pins, or under the heads of each pin. Any fastener pin head with any kind of geometric configuration forming a cantilever or recess can be retained by retaining rod 80.

In the foregoing description, certain terms and visual depictions are used to illustrate the preferred embodiment. However, no unnecessary limitations are to be construed by the terms used or illustrations depicted, beyond what is shown in the prior art, since the terms and illustrations are exemplary only, and are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention.

It is further known that other modifications may be made to the present invention, without departing the scope of the invention, as noted in the appended Claims. 

1. A multi-row punch die for punching a stack of sheets comprising: a female member for accepting said stack of sheets to be punched to form a row of holes of a specific configuration and pitch; said female member having at least two rows of holes, whereby the holes in one row may differ in configuration, size and pitch from holes in the other respective rows, a pin retaining bar having two or more rows of pins, in registration with corresponding holes in said female member; and, means for insuring that pins in only one selected row in said retaining bar are enabled to enter the holes in the corresponding row of holes in said female member so as to punch holes in said stack of sheets.
 2. The multi-row punch die as in claim 1 wherein said stack of sheets are made from paper.
 3. The multi-row punch die as in claim 1 wherein said stack of sheets are made from metal.
 4. The multi-row punch die as in claim 1 wherein said stack of sheets are made from board.
 5. The multi-row punch die as in claim 1 wherein said stack of sheets are made from synthetic material.
 6. The multi-row punch die in claim 1 wherein said means for enabling said only one selected row of pins to punch holes is the manual removal of one or more respective rows of pins not needed.
 7. The multi-row punch die of claim 6 wherein said means for enabling said only one selected row of pins to punch holes further comprises a cover plate mounted over at least said only one selected row of pins needed to be engaged to punch holes in said stack of sheets, thereby preventing said selected only one row of pins from retracting, after said removal of the row of pins not needed.
 8. The multi-row punch die of claim 1 wherein said means for enabling said only one selected row of pins to punch holes is a cover plate mounted over only said only one selected row of pins to be engaged to punch holes in said stack of sheets, said cover plate preventing said only one selected row of pins from retracting wherein the remaining pins float within the die and do not penetrate said stack of sheets and make holes.
 9. The multi-row punch die in claim 1 wherein said means for enabling said only one selected row of pins to punch holes is a rod mounted over only the row of pins to be engaged to punch holes in said stack of sheets, thereby preventing said pins from retracting, wherein the remaining pins will float within the die and will not penetrate said stack of sheets and make holes.
 10. The multi-row punch die in claim 1 wherein said means for enabling said only one selected row of pins to punch holes is a rod mounted through only the row of pins to be engaged to punch holes in said stack of sheets, thereby preventing said pins from retracting, wherein the remaining pins will float within the die and will not penetrate said stack of sheets and make holes.
 11. The multi-row punch die in claim 1 wherein said means for enabling said only one selected row of pins to punch holes is a rod mounted along the edge of grooved pins in the row to be engaged to punch holes to said stack of sheets, thereby preventing said pins from retracting, wherein said remaining pins float within the die and do not penetrate said stack of sheets and make holes.
 12. The multi-row punch die in claim 1 wherein said means for enabling said only one selected row of pins to punch holes is a rod mounted along the edge of slotted pins in the row to be engaged to punch holes to said stack of sheets, thereby preventing said pins from retracting, wherein said remaining pins float within the die and do not penetrate said stack of sheets and make holes.
 13. The multi-row punch die in claim 1 wherein said means for enabling said only one selected row of pins to punch holes is a rod mounted under the heads of each pin in the row to be engaged to punch holes to said stack of sheets, thereby preventing said pins from retracting, wherein said remaining pins float within the die and do not penetrate said stack of sheets and make holes. 